HAWAII

Trinity Missionary choir to perform

The Trinity Missionary Baptist Church choir will perform in a free concert of gospel music today in Ewa Beach.

The 3:30 p.m. event at Prayer Center Church of God in Christ, 91-429 Fort Weaver Road, is the beginning of an all-week Holy Convocation that is open to the public. The Rev. Eudith Robbins will lead today's program.

"The Power of Oneness" is the theme of events that include the following:

» Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. The Civic Night program will feature Donald Haymon, president of the Hawaii Parent Teacher Association, and Mary Westemoreland speaking on college preparation.
» Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Youth Night will feature Leroy Carr of the Hickam Gospel Service.
» Thursday, 7:30 p.m. The Women's Night speaker will be Leila Ulufale, state women's representative of the Church of God in Christ.
» Friday, 7:30 p.m. Evangelist night will feature the Rev. Lyon Webb of Greater Mount Zion Holiness Church.
» Aug. 13, 11:30 a.m. Bishop Paul Martin of the Church of God in Christ will speak at the worship service.

Rev. Chuck Smith set for Calvary event

An all-day church conference Aug. 19 will kick off a series of talks by Christian evangelists about the "end times" predicted in the Bible.

The Rev. Chuck Smith, founder of Calvary Chapel network of churches, will be a featured speaker at the "How to Walk 2006" conference at Calvary Chapel Honolulu, 98-1016 Komo Mai Drive, Aiea. "The Overcoming Christian" will be the theme of speakers in the program from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guitarist Fernando Ortega, a Christian recording artist, will lead praise and worship music.

Smith and other preachers will speak in the five-night "End Times Outreach" series at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 19 to 23 at the church. All the events are free and open to the public.

The other featured speakers, all Christian radio evangelists, will be:

Surfaris to play at Endless Summer

The Surfaris, a 1960s surfer rock group best known for their hit song "Wipe Out," will perform at the Endless Summer Family Fest next weekend at Maunalua Bay Beach Park.

The Aug. 13 program sponsored by New Hope Hawaii Kai will offer free music, food and entertainment from 3:30 to 7 p.m. A shuttle will be provided from the park-and-ride parking lot on Keahole Street.

Children and adults may compete for prizes in hula hoop spinning and '60s-style dances. Another contest will seek the best mimic of the manic laugh introduction in "Wipe Out."

WORLD

Muslims issue ban on Botox treatment

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia » Islamic clerics have banned Malaysian Muslims from undergoing Botox treatment for cosmetic purposes because the compound contains prohibited and harmful substances, according to a published report.

The National Fatwa Council, which advises the government on Islamic regulations, issued the July 27 edict but said using Botox for medical reasons -- for example, to treat cerebral palsy sufferers -- is permissible if doctors deem it necessary, the New Straits Times reported.

Council Chairman Shukor Husin said the ruling is not legally binding, but that Muslims who defy it would be committing a sin.

Shukor said Botox contains extracts from pigs, an animal considered unclean in Islam, and that the council ruled on the issue after studying reports by local and international specialists as well as religious edicts in the Mideast.

Botox is the brand name for a substance derived from the toxin botulin which, when injected into the face, temporarily paralyzes the facial muscles to eliminate wrinkles. It can also be used treat migraines, excessive sweating and muscle spasms in the neck and eyes.

The fatwa council rulings in Malaysia help shape Islamic Sharia laws there, but not all their edicts are passed into legislation. Some 60 percent of the 26 million people in the Southeast Asian nation are Muslim.

Malaysian Muslims are required to obey council edicts, even if they have not been incorporated into national or Sharia law